C494
—
The gaze with which he was observing Ron was very similar to that of a child about to be scolded by his father.
And Ron knew it.
It seems that Cale (he) doesn't notice it.
"It's identical."
"Huh?"
Ron, after pouring more wine into his glass, sat down next to Beacrox, across from Cale, and opened his mouth.
"The Young Master's gaze before he was scolded as a child is quite similar to this one."
Yes.
When he was young, the Young Master didn't usually make that expression in front of the Count, in fact, he rarely showed it in front of the Duke of Henituse. He only directed it at me sometimes, and it resembled the expression Beacrox had when he got into trouble. It wasn't hard to figure out what the Young Master was thinking when he was a child.
"And I pretended not to notice."
Even though the Young Master in front of him hadn't drunk yet and he hadn't offered him the glass, Ron went ahead and took a sip.
"Because I am good at pretending not to see."
A benign smile, almost out of habit, appeared on his lips. Ever since he had decided to serve as a servant for the Henituse Count's family with Beacrox, he had to pretend not to see many things: the past, the surroundings, and even his own feelings.
"And that hasn't changed. I am very good at pretending not to see."
"…"
Cale remained silent with a strange expression. Ron, looking into the Young Master's eyes, continued.
"But there came a time when I could no longer keep pretending."
Since when, exactly? Since he found out that Choi Han had been attacked by Arm? Or when, after returning to the Henituse house because of Arm, he saw the Young Master angry? Or perhaps it was the accumulation of small moments over time that changed him.
"It happens like now. Moments keep arriving where I can no longer pretend not to see."
Ron said that and drank wine again. Cale, who was observing and pondering what to say, finally spoke.
"Fine. Don't pretend."
Of the people now with Cale, few know the former Cale Henituse beyond rumors. There are Ron, Beacrox, some members of the Duke of Henituse's household, and the servants. Cale does not plan to confess the truth to the Henituse family. However, with these two men, it was different.
Cale remembers Ron carrying him on his back and running. He remembers the many times they shared the front line. That's why he had to face them with sincerity.
"I have decided to live as Cale Henituse."
Yes. There was no phrase that expressed his conviction better. "I am Cale Henituse and I will live as Cale Henituse."
The wine in the glass clinked. Cale pretended not to notice and took a sip. He felt heat on his face.
"Ask whatever you want."
Cale placed the glass on the table; it was no longer vibrating. Under the table, he clasped his hands together.
"Ha, ha."
Ron let out a low laugh. His smile, although welcoming, had the sharpness characteristic of an assassin; with that cold expression, he asked Cale:
"Are you nervous?"
As soon as that question sounded,
"Ha."
Cale let out a short laugh. For the first time, he felt like he could breathe again.
"Yes. I am nervous."
He admitted it without beating around the bush.
"Who were you before?"
Beacrox stepped forward suddenly.
"My name is Kim Rok Su. I fought monsters in another world alongside Choi Jung Soo and Choi Jung Gun, the team leader."
"Mmm."
Beacrox nodded with an expression of "I expected as much." Ron didn't seem surprised at all. The two of them, one way or another, weren't startled by anything Cale said.
"My, you are perceptive."
Cale opened his heart and Beacrox, with a somewhat cynical and careless look, commented:
"When have you tried to hide it?"
"…"
"You didn't say it, but you went around with everything very clear."
"…"
Faced with the words of Ron and Beacrox, Cale didn't know how to respond.
"Isn't it too easy to move on?"
"Then, why not prevent it from being so easy?"
Ron suddenly smiled with his usual calm.
"Gasp!"
Cale was surprised. That ruthless old man wasn't going to let it go so easily.
'I should have stayed quiet.'
Cale reproached himself internally, but the assassin Ron asked naturally:
"Let me ask you a difficult question."
Cale swallowed saliva without realizing it. What difficult question?
"Is the Young Master alright?"
… Upon hearing that, Cale was about to let out a sigh. At the same time, a doubt occurred to him that he ended up asking.
"Do you think I would know that?"
When Ron said "Young Master," he was undoubtedly referring to the real Cale Henituse. Ron, as a loyal servant, spoke as if Cale knew things about the real Young Master.
"Yes. I thought you knew."
Ron, with his kind smile on, said:
"Because I see no guilt in the Young Master's pupils when you mention the former Young Master."
Ah.
Cale let out a sigh.
"Ah. Really."
At that moment, he felt it clearly.
"Ron. It seems there are few who know Cale Henituse better than you."
"It's natural."
Ron responded calmly, as if it were obvious.
"I am his servant. I have been with him from the beginning."
It was true. Ron had spent more time with Cale Henituse than anyone else. Cale picked up the glass. He remembered the time he read "The Birth of a Hero," fell asleep, and upon waking up found Ron; how surprised he was then. He drank a mouthful of his wine without hesitation and responded.
"He is fine."
The person who lives as Kim Rok Su —that is, Cale Henituse— is fine.
"Ah, is that so?"
"Yes. He said he met his mother."
Of course, not the mother that the real Cale Henituse would remember, but the mother as she appears in Kim Rok Su's world.
"…"
"…"
Beacrox and Ron momentarily froze; Cale could see a smile on Ron's face. Even the corner of Beacrox's lips hinted at a small smile.
"Ah."
Seeing that, Cale stared intently. Beacrox's eyes, which met his, became detached and he asked:
"Are you hiding anything else?"
"Hm."
Cale thought about things that they might not know.
"You know I talk to the gods, right?"
"Yes."
"You know my name."
"Yes."
"You know who our enemies are."
"Of course."
"Mm."
He didn't have much more to add. If he went into details, he would have to explain that Choi Han is a dimensional traveler and that Cale arrived after reading a book, "The Birth of a Hero," but that was unnecessary here.
'What for?'
The matter related to Choi Han was delicate and not something he wanted to talk about. Besides, this world is not a book; "The Birth of a Hero" would be better told by its author Choi Jung Gun and the God of Death.
"Hm."
Cale reflected.
"Okay. What you might not know…"
He sighed.
"Choi Jung Soo is my friend; Choi Han is a distant uncle of Choi Jung Soo. Even so, I use informal speech with Choi Han and he treats me as his lord; and yet I am still friends with Choi Jung Soo."
Beacrox's expression twisted a little.
"I see."
Cale felt somewhat embarrassed for having shared something like that. Beacrox, almost as if it were nothing, threw an unexpected question at him.
"What is gochujang (fermented red pepper paste)?"
Cale spat out the wine in his mouth. Ron, nonchalantly, took out a handkerchief and offered it to him; then cleaned the table and Cale's clothes with another.
"The food that Raon talks about? Foods from your hometown?" asked Beacrox.
"Yes."
"Besides the apple pie, he wants recipes for other things."
"I see."
With a somewhat stunned face, Cale received Beacrox's request:
"Next time, teach me the recipe properly."
"Eh, e—"
But Cale didn't know what gochujang (fermented red pepper paste) was.
"Then I'm leaving."
Beacrox hadn't even drunk a sip of wine. He jumped up and headed for the door.
'Do I let him leave like this?'
Why had everything ended so lightly? Why had he postponed his doubts? Cale, with a feeling of emptiness, watched Beacrox's back heading for the door and, before he left, said what he had to.
"Don't overexert yourself."
Beacrox, with his hand on the doorknob, stopped.
"Whether you cook, practice swordsmanship, or learn from your team leader, do what you want, but don't demand too much from yourself."
He turned and looked at Beacrox, pointing with his hand towards the window.
"At night, you have to sleep, right?"
Cale had noticed the new small scars on Beacrox's hands, neck, and wrists. They looked like fine wounds, like training marks. He was curious why and how the techniques of the team leader, Choi Jung Gun, had been transmitted to him.
"Sleep well and eat well. That's important, okay?"
Cale smiled sideways and Beacrox, with an indifferent expression, let out a light laugh and walked away without responding, although before leaving he said:
"Just one more thing."
Beacrox didn't look at Cale; he was looking at the door while asking:
"What is your goal?"
The person who lives as Kim Roksu, who has decided to be Cale Henituse… what was his goal.
A calm voice sounded behind him.
"Me. For us to eat well and live well. Ah, and for me to live lazing around."
Good. That was enough. Beacrox wasn't interested in anything else. The essential thing doesn't change.
Click.
Beacrox left without showing any reaction. Cale, who had stated his goal, watched Beacrox's figure leaving with a certain unease, and then heard another voice that made him stop.
"It's true, Young Master. You must not demand too much from yourself."
A calm, benign voice.
"Sleep well, eat well, rest. It is very important."
Cale slowly turned. There was Ron, with a benign smile.
"Will you also follow your own words, Young Master?"
"…"
"Yes. If you say you will, I will trust you."
"…"
"I will watch over you by your side, as at the beginning, now and always. Forever."
A shiver ran down Cale's spine; he remained silent, but responded to Ron's final words.
"Of course. My servant is you, Ron, and only you."
Cale appreciated the Henituse Duke's family. He considered them his family. But Ron was different from the others in the household; he couldn't explain why. Cale often found himself mindful of Ron's gaze, and when he saw Ron injured, he would get angry in a special way.
To tell the truth, according to the way Raon or Choi Han expressed it, Ron was also family.
Within his family, he couldn't say exactly what he was, but for Cale, Ron held a different meaning than other companions.
"My Young Master is also only you, isn't that right?"
Ron said that in a soft voice. Upon hearing it, Cale drank the remaining wine.
'How embarrassing.'
He felt a little ashamed, but…
"So, Young Master, sleep well, eat well, and rest a lot. Understood?"
Seeing Ron say it with a severe face and no smile, Cale immediately responded:
"Ah, yes."
He nodded quickly and answered. No matter how much stronger he became, that old man's figure was still terrifying. It seemed that even if Ron aged more or Cale became stronger, that relationship wouldn't change. Cale valued things that don't change quite a lot.
"Sleep well."
With that, the brief and simple conversation between Cale, Ron, and Beacrox concluded. It was something that passed almost without a trace.
Click.
Ron left the room where Cale was sleeping and walked slowly down the hallway.
"…"
When crossing from the Eastern Continent to the Western Continent, Ron had thought that at least his son Beacrox should be saved. And now…
"There are too many people to save."
The responsibility overwhelmed him. What could he do with that old body? His steps did not falter. He didn't plan to sleep. His eyes were clearer than ever.
A father who must protect his son cannot afford to rest.
---
At dawn, when the rays began to illuminate the green leaves, Cale, receiving the light, reflected.
'How did I end up like this?'
It was morning, but the world seemed dark. A gray glow fell upon Cale.
"…"
"…"
The demons observed this with absorbed faces. Cale murmured with the same stupefaction.
"Demon God… that lunatic…"
I'm glad everything turned out well! That was a bit easier than I imagined 😅.
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Those smiles when they found out Og!Cale is okay 💞
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Let's appreciate how Cale views Ron as a father figure 💞 but my boy can't quite identify that feeling, having gone so long without a father figure.
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Thanks for the chapter! I'll be eagerly awaiting the next one⁴